Largest Gathering of Inmates and Children Looks to Break Cycle of Crime

The prison once deemed the most violent in America will be hosting the nation’s largest gathering of inmates and their children next month to promote reconciliation and healing within families.

The Returning Hearts Celebration is expected to reunite more than 1,000 kids with their incarcerated dads at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola for a special day of activities and bonding. The annual event enables fathers who may not have seen their sons or daughters in years to seek forgiveness and build connections in an effort to break the cycle of familial crime.

“These fathers do not want their children to end up in prison,” says Jack Eggar, president and CEO of Awana Lifeline prison ministry, which initiated the Returning Hearts Celebration. “So they are intentional in encouraging and teaching their children to pursue a life of character and faith.”

The program was established several years ago after Eggar and Awana Co-Founder Art Rorheim discovered that inmates in the largest maximum-security prison in the United States wanted a program to help their children grow spiritually and morally.

According to surveys, children of an incarcerated parent are seven times more likely than their peers to land in prison themselves.

Because of the expertise Awana had in working with children, parents and churches, the prison’s warden, Burl Cain, invited the ministry to help meet the need, leading to the creation of Awana Lifeline and the first Returning Hearts Celebration in 2004.

Since the first event, the number of children participating has increased from the initial 240 to last year’s 730. Furthermore, 68 percent of guardians whose children attended the Returning Hearts Celebration reported that their children were behaving better at home and at school.

“Returning Hearts is a time when the walls come down between kids and their fathers,” explains Lyndon Azcuna, Awana’s director of cross-cultural ministries. “This special day gives children an opportunity to be with their fathers physically and to hear them say, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you.’ It’s also a place for children to experience God’s love through the changed hearts of their fathers.”

Because of the success at Angola, Awana recently announced plans to expand its Lifeline program to seven other prisons throughout the nation, including San Quentin.

This year, over 1,000 children are registered to attend the celebration in Angola on Saturday, Mar. 28, along with about 420 inmates.

The celebration features crafts, pony rides, inflatable games, sporting events and a meal in a carnival atmosphere.

On the Web:
More information about Awana Lifeline at www.awana.org/lifeline.